About Cochemiea albicans (Britton & Rose) P.B.Breslin & Majure
Cochemiea albicans exhibits basal branching growth and forms clustered groups. Its cylindrical, pale green stems are almost entirely covered in thorns, growing up to 20 cm tall and 6 cm in diameter. The plant's broad, conical tubercles do not contain milky sap. Areoles are densely woolly and bear a small number of bristles. This species has 4 to 8 straight central spines, occasionally one of which is hooked; the spines measure 0.8 to 1 cm long, are white, and have brown tips. It also has 14 to 21 white marginal spines, ranging 0.5 to 0.8 cm in length. Its broad, funnel-shaped flowers are around 2 cm in diameter, and are colored white to light pink with pink stripes running down their centers. The styles are 10 to 12 mm long, and carry pink stigma lobes, while the stamens are pink with yolk-yellow anthers. Fruits are slender, club-shaped, orange to red, and 10 to 18 mm long. Seeds are black and balloon-shaped. Cochemiea albicans is native to the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur, and also occurs on offshore islands in the region. It grows on rocky hillsides and in calcareous soils at elevations between 10 and 200 meters, where it occurs alongside Cochemiea dioica, Cochemiea fraileana, and Pachycereus pringlei.
